| 21 February 2010
UFC 110 went down a smashing success in front of almost 18,000 boisterous Australian fans last night. Not only was the crowd loud and educated, but the action in the cage was the best we've seen in a long time. There were brutal knockouts courtesy of Cain Velasquez and Ryan Bader, a sick submission by Chris Lytle, lots of blood and multiple matches that could have been named Fight of the Night (Silva-Bisping, Stevenson-Sotiropoulos). At the end of the year we may look back on UFC 110 as the best event of 2010.
But more than just entertain us, last night's action also educated us (remember - it is important to never stop learning (and only fools do drugs). So what exactly did we learn?
Minotauro has been slain
As much as it pains me to say this, the days of Antonio Rodrigo "Minotauro" Nogueira as a top heavyweight appear to be over. Not that there really is any shame in getting beat by Cain Velasquez, but rather it is the way the younger fighter dismantled Nogueira and made him look old (and, I can say from experience, a bald spot doesn't help things). With his only victory in the past two years coming against a fellow over-the-hill fighter in Randy Couture, it is unlikely Minotauro will be able to climb his way back up to the top of the heavyweight mountain. While a rumoured fight with Mirko Cro Cop would help put Nogeuira back on the winning track, it would do nothing to prove that he still has got "it". Time to change his Rolling Stones entrance song to "Not Fade Away".
Cain Velasquez is the real deal
Velasquez's brutal handling of Minotauro proves that he is a legitimate contender for the heavyweight crown. Unfortunately his timing isn't good - the winner of the Frank Mir-Shane Carwin tilt has first dibs on champ Brock Lesnar. While Velasquez has a better resume than Shane Carwin does, life isn't always fair in the world of MMA. It looks like Brown Pride's next victim will be the winner of the Gabriel Gonzaga-Junior dos Santos fight.
Ditto for Darth Bader
The Ultimate Fighter 8 winner Ryan Bader had his first real test in the cage, going up against unorthodox UFC veteran Keith Jardine. While known for his wrestling, Darth Bader proved his lightsaber is strong also, making Jardine see stars with a left hook in the third round. Bader is ready to take another step up - how about giving him Thiago Silva in the summer?
That George Sotiropoulos guy is pretty good too
Another impressive performer at UFC 110 was "home town boy" George Sotiropoulos. Sotiropoulos totally controlled his match versus a very tough Joe Stevenson and pocketed the Fight of the Night bonus for his efforts. While the talk of him being a title contender is probably a little premature, he definitely is ready for a stiffer test. Maybe a date with The Bully, Gray Maynard, is in order.
His axe is still sharp
Fan favourite Wanderlei Silva made a successful debut as a middleweight, winning an unanimous decision over big mouth Brit Michael Bisping. Beating Bisping is no small feat as the only blemishes on his resume were defeats to Dan Henderson and Rashad Evans. Silva could have won the match earlier if it wasn't for the clock - Bisping was saved by the bell at the end of each round. Next up for The Axe Murderer is dangerous Japanese judo black belt Yoshihiro Akiyama. The winner of the Silva-Sexyama match could find themselves in line for a title shot. And I can't wait until I get to hear this song again:
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